1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cable guiding mechanisms in general, and more particularly, to a fairlead for guiding a cable as it is wound on to or off of a drum and into an excavating or material handling tool such as a clamshell bucket or grapple.
2. Prior Art
Companies currently spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on cables that are utilized in construction and mining operations. These cables are significant assets for such companies, and accordingly various mechanisms and devices are currently employed to maintain the integrity of the cables. As an example, fairlead mechanisms are often utilized in mining and construction operations to guide cables and to reduce cable wear and increase cable life. Although such fairleads are commonly known and utilized in the prior art, they often present major disadvantages. For example, many such fairleads are heavy, complex structures, containing numerous elements, making their utilization difficult for the user. Such fairleads also have increased manufacturing costs due to their complexity. Furthermore, many prior art fairleads are inefficient as they do not prevent undesirable contact of the cable with the ground or with the fairlead components. For example, in one type of fairlead that is commonly utilized, a cluster of adjacent rollers form a boundary to define an aperture via which the cable passes. In this type of mechanism, the boundary defining the aperture is neither smooth, circular, nor continuous. In such prior art fairleads, as the cable passes through the aperture, the outer diameter of the cable is subject to flattening, and the wear and tear on the cable is actually increased. As a result, companies utilizing these type of inefficient fairleads are required to continuously monitor, maintain, and repair these cables, increasing operation and labor costs. Furthermore, as such inefficient fairleads actually decrease the life span of the cables, companies are required to purchase and install new cables more frequently to replace them. Therefore, an improved fairlead meeting the following objectives would be highly desirable in the industry.